"Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights," North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. "I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms."
"We have a plan B and a plan C. But our focus is plan A, the essence of which is to get everyone's support" for Ukraine's accession, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Jan. 17, 2025. (Kremlin Press Office / Handout /Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law ratifying a comprehensive strategic partnership agreement with Iran, Russian state-controlled media reported on April 21.
The agreement was initially signed during a summit between Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia on Jan. 17, where the leaders pledged closer cooperation in trade, defense, energy, and regional infrastructure projects.
The law on the treaty was approved by the State Duma, the lower house of Russia's parliament, on April 8 and passed the Federation Council on April 16, with the presidential signature remaining as the final step.
According to the Kremlin, the agreement aims to bolster bilateral relations across key sectors, including investment, transport, logistics, and humanitarian efforts, while also addressing pressing regional and global issues.
Both countries have also pledged not to provide assistance to any third party involved in military conflict with the other.
Russian and Iranian officials have framed the deal as a response to increasing geopolitical pressure from the West.
Iran and Russia have seen their ties strengthen significantly since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Tehran has supplied Moscow with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, as well as short-range ballistic missiles. With Iranian assistance, Russia has begun producing its own variants, known as Geran-2.
This ratification follows a similar move by Putin in June 2024, when he signed a defense-oriented partnership agreement with North Korea.
That pact included mutual military support clauses and has since seen Pyongyang reportedly dispatch up to 12,000 troops to Russian territory to help defend against Ukrainian cross-border operations in Kursk Oblast.
Mohammad Eslami
